ARCH 544: Rethinking Metropolis - Institution - Spring 2018
Professor: Tom Brock

Student Team: Junghyo Woo, Keigo Yamazaki, Graham Bowman
Project Title: Bridgeport Innovation Center

Project Description: The Bridgeport Innovation Center is a 113,000 SF comaking and coworking facility at the Northeast end of the Roots + Seeds redevelopment plan for Bridgeport, Chicago. The building seeks to build a community of creators within Bridgeport and the greater Chicago area by providing a platform for making and innovating. 

The building features a 540 foot long continuous manufacturing hall with spaces for fabrication, prototyping, electronics and a small microfactory. Coworking and community programs, rather than interrupt that manufacturing floor, are lifted from the space to be suspended from the ceiling. 

The building is entirely one-directional, prioritizing the riverfront while sacrificing the southeast side to house less desirable program elements such as mechanical and toilet rooms. By utilizing the riverfront as its community event space, the Bridgeport Innovation Center expresses the Chicago’s River’s industrial heritage in a new light through the shared spirit of making.